He said that if a member of the panel wants to give an opening statement for a hearing that starts at 10 a.m., "you show up at 9:30 because the hearing is going to start at 10." He said the chair and ranking member of the panel may still give statements before the witnesses "but that's it. No two hours."

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Barton, who appeared first before the steering panel, told reporters afterward that Upton isn’t ready to be chairman. “I think that I am more conservative and I think that Fred is well qualified at some point in time to chair this committee, but not right now,” he said.

The Texas Republican said his experience makes him the best candidate for the post. “Well, I’ve done it for two years,” he said. “I ran an open transparent committee; I have the respect on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Capitol.”

Barton also denied reports that his icy relationship with Republican leadership would keep him from getting the waiver he needs. “There’s no tension on my part. You’d have to ask them on their part,” he said. “Those folks are my friends and my colleagues. We’re a team.”

Barton’s troubled relationship with Boehner goes back to 2006, when the Texan challenged Boehner for minority leader. And Barton drew the ire of leadership for his now-infamous apology to BP during this summer’s oil spill disaster – an incident that nearly cost him his top seat on the committee at the time.

But Barton said the term-limit waiver wasn’t discussed during his presentation. He said his understanding is that if he wins, “I get a waiver or they’re gonna change the rule or clarify the rule, and that’s a little bit up in the air.”

Stearns – who has owned a small chain of hotels and restaurants – is seen as a long-shot candidate, but was confident about his chances after appearing before the committee.

“I think it went very well. I made a strong case for myself as the only candidate who’s actually developed jobs,” he said. “And since the election was about jobs and about the deficit, I explained to them how I fulfilled the American dream and was able to create jobs through hotels and restaurants.”

Stearns also attempted to win favor with Boehner. “I also talked about my experience running a country western bar which tied in with Leader Boehner, who ran a bar. So I sort of tagged along with Boehner and his experience with his father’s bar.”

Shimkus was less chatty than his competitors after his presentation. “I’m no surprise as far as who I am, what I’ve done,” he told reporters. “It’s over, so we’ll see. I don’t really have much to say.”

God save us from more efficient curly light bulbs, that no one forces you to buy.

You Republicans are really sad, cowardly to change folks.

By the way, Mr. 'Apoligies to BP for spilling your oil in our country' Barton, needs to be thrown out of that committee outright. The man is pathetic, no nothing concerning these issues, and bought and paid for by the people who he would supposedly be regulating.